I'm sorry if this chapter is a little short. What it lacks in length, it
makes up for in quality.
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Cecilia stood with her back to the large canopied bed that the Queen of the Gods thrashed around in. The Gods of the Ruling Pantheon were nowhere to be seen. Cyclops, their king, was hidden away in isolation. Jean was losing her mind to insanity. The rest of the Pantheon was away in their little worlds.
No one understood what was happening to Jean. Perhaps not even Jean herself. But then, no one understood much about Jean in the first place. All anyone knew was that one day she just appeared, like she was a gift from, well, the Gods. She seemed to have no idea where she came from and all anyone knew about her is that none of the First Generation sired her.
Cecilia turned back to the bed where Jean lay. The Queen had finally quieted down. Maybe now Jean could get some real rest.
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Inside Jean's mind things were far from restful. Her body may have grown tired of its frantic thrashing, but things had only grown worse in the wasteland that was now her mind.
Jean now lived trapped behind the fires that had invaded her mind. She could no longer speak to those that she loved, her husband, and her two surviving children Cable and Domino. She was alone inside her thoughts. And at the moment, her thoughts were dominated by fire.
Jean knew that these visions of flames had something to do with her unknown origins, but she didn't recall anything about them. She also couldn't recall anything about her world outside of the fire. She knew that something terrible had happened, but she couldn't remember what it was.
An image of a man's face flashed through the fire, but Jean didn't recognize the face of her first-born son and truthfully, she couldn't find it in herself to care. Then suddenly, Jean was not only surrounded by fire, she was engulfed in it. She could feel it burning away at her even as she tried to fight it.
Outside of her mind, Cecilia was frantically trying to douse the flames that had suddenly burst out over Jean's body. "Help!" Cecilia started to scream.
The door burst open and Domino, Goddess of Life ran in. Domino stopped dead and stared at the scene before her. Reaching out, Domino pulled Cecilia to safety just as the flames covering Jean leapt outward. Cecilia started to struggle against Domino's strong arms trying to get to Jean. "You'll be killed if you go near her again!" Domino screamed just to be heard over the roaring of the fire.
As suddenly as the fire had started, it was doused. Domino and Cecilia could only stare in shocked silence as a healthy looking Jean sat up in the bed. When Jean spoke it was in a voice that echoed and sounded of power, "Where am I?"
Cecilia looked at Domino before turning to Jean, "Uh, you're in the Palace of the Gods, Jean. It's where you've been for the last few years." Again Cecilia looked at Domino.
"Frankly mother, you've been going insane," Domino said with a smile.
"I've been taking care of you," Cecilia added.
Jean smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes. "I see. And did you take such care when you let my son be murdered?"
Domino's mouth fell open. Jean had spoken with such calm that Domino and Cecilia were sure they had heard them wrong. "Jean! What's wrong with you?"
Domino's lips pressed into a thin line, "Morph was my brother, my twin, and I loved him. I miss him as much as you do, but he would have wanted us to move on. Not to dwell on it. Not to alienate those who have tried to help us!"
Jean laughed, a heartless and cruel sound. "Ah, child, no one can help you now."
Domino and Cecilia were thrust against the walls of Jean's room with the power of Jean's mind. Pinned there, they could do nothing but watch as Jean stood and then blew up the wall containing her one window. When nothing was standing between Jean and the outside world she jumped, only to fly into the sky quickly vanishing from sight.
When Jean was gone Domino and Cecilia fell from the walls like puppets with their strings cut. Domino stayed slumped on the floor, her disbelief evident on her face. Cecilia stood and walked to what was left of the outer wall. She whispered to herself, "What's happened to you Jean?"
Jean flew through the skies feeling more free than she had in ages. She was no longer burdened with fear and doubt and pesky emotions like grief and affection. When she had finally tired of flight, she landed on the peak of a mountain, a volcano. She stood there for a moment watching the liquid fire.
"Beautiful isn't it?" a voice asked her from behind.
Jean turned slowly and saw that it was Pyro, God of Fire who spoke to her. He was Psylocke's sometimes lover and the father of her two daughters. Jean smiled, "Yes, it is."
Pyro stared at Jean, confused. This was not the Queen he had grown to know. Standing before him was a being of darkness, something he never thought Jean to be.
Jean saw his disgust flash across his face. Her smile widened as she gestured to the liquid fire just behind her. Pyro saw her hand move to late and he could not avoid the magma that leapt out of the active volcano to jump at him.
Normally, anything of fire could not harm Pyro, but something was different. Jean had somehow manipulated the fire and it burned with an intensity that Pyro could not stand. It seemed to burn as hot as the sun, the only fire that Pyro could not control.
He started screaming, the pain too intense for him to stand. When his flesh started to melt away he no longer had the breath to scream. When Jean finally pulled the fires away, Pyro lay close to dying on the hard mountain ground.
With his last breaths Pyro asked, "Why Jean?"
"Jean no longer has control here. I am Phoenix and my powers will no longer be wasted as they were before," the entity inhabiting Jean replied, but Pyro was no longer in any condition to hear her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cecilia stood with her back to the large canopied bed that the Queen of the Gods thrashed around in. The Gods of the Ruling Pantheon were nowhere to be seen. Cyclops, their king, was hidden away in isolation. Jean was losing her mind to insanity. The rest of the Pantheon was away in their little worlds.
No one understood what was happening to Jean. Perhaps not even Jean herself. But then, no one understood much about Jean in the first place. All anyone knew was that one day she just appeared, like she was a gift from, well, the Gods. She seemed to have no idea where she came from and all anyone knew about her is that none of the First Generation sired her.
Cecilia turned back to the bed where Jean lay. The Queen had finally quieted down. Maybe now Jean could get some real rest.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inside Jean's mind things were far from restful. Her body may have grown tired of its frantic thrashing, but things had only grown worse in the wasteland that was now her mind.
Jean now lived trapped behind the fires that had invaded her mind. She could no longer speak to those that she loved, her husband, and her two surviving children Cable and Domino. She was alone inside her thoughts. And at the moment, her thoughts were dominated by fire.
Jean knew that these visions of flames had something to do with her unknown origins, but she didn't recall anything about them. She also couldn't recall anything about her world outside of the fire. She knew that something terrible had happened, but she couldn't remember what it was.
An image of a man's face flashed through the fire, but Jean didn't recognize the face of her first-born son and truthfully, she couldn't find it in herself to care. Then suddenly, Jean was not only surrounded by fire, she was engulfed in it. She could feel it burning away at her even as she tried to fight it.
Outside of her mind, Cecilia was frantically trying to douse the flames that had suddenly burst out over Jean's body. "Help!" Cecilia started to scream.
The door burst open and Domino, Goddess of Life ran in. Domino stopped dead and stared at the scene before her. Reaching out, Domino pulled Cecilia to safety just as the flames covering Jean leapt outward. Cecilia started to struggle against Domino's strong arms trying to get to Jean. "You'll be killed if you go near her again!" Domino screamed just to be heard over the roaring of the fire.
As suddenly as the fire had started, it was doused. Domino and Cecilia could only stare in shocked silence as a healthy looking Jean sat up in the bed. When Jean spoke it was in a voice that echoed and sounded of power, "Where am I?"
Cecilia looked at Domino before turning to Jean, "Uh, you're in the Palace of the Gods, Jean. It's where you've been for the last few years." Again Cecilia looked at Domino.
"Frankly mother, you've been going insane," Domino said with a smile.
"I've been taking care of you," Cecilia added.
Jean smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes. "I see. And did you take such care when you let my son be murdered?"
Domino's mouth fell open. Jean had spoken with such calm that Domino and Cecilia were sure they had heard them wrong. "Jean! What's wrong with you?"
Domino's lips pressed into a thin line, "Morph was my brother, my twin, and I loved him. I miss him as much as you do, but he would have wanted us to move on. Not to dwell on it. Not to alienate those who have tried to help us!"
Jean laughed, a heartless and cruel sound. "Ah, child, no one can help you now."
Domino and Cecilia were thrust against the walls of Jean's room with the power of Jean's mind. Pinned there, they could do nothing but watch as Jean stood and then blew up the wall containing her one window. When nothing was standing between Jean and the outside world she jumped, only to fly into the sky quickly vanishing from sight.
When Jean was gone Domino and Cecilia fell from the walls like puppets with their strings cut. Domino stayed slumped on the floor, her disbelief evident on her face. Cecilia stood and walked to what was left of the outer wall. She whispered to herself, "What's happened to you Jean?"
Jean flew through the skies feeling more free than she had in ages. She was no longer burdened with fear and doubt and pesky emotions like grief and affection. When she had finally tired of flight, she landed on the peak of a mountain, a volcano. She stood there for a moment watching the liquid fire.
"Beautiful isn't it?" a voice asked her from behind.
Jean turned slowly and saw that it was Pyro, God of Fire who spoke to her. He was Psylocke's sometimes lover and the father of her two daughters. Jean smiled, "Yes, it is."
Pyro stared at Jean, confused. This was not the Queen he had grown to know. Standing before him was a being of darkness, something he never thought Jean to be.
Jean saw his disgust flash across his face. Her smile widened as she gestured to the liquid fire just behind her. Pyro saw her hand move to late and he could not avoid the magma that leapt out of the active volcano to jump at him.
Normally, anything of fire could not harm Pyro, but something was different. Jean had somehow manipulated the fire and it burned with an intensity that Pyro could not stand. It seemed to burn as hot as the sun, the only fire that Pyro could not control.
He started screaming, the pain too intense for him to stand. When his flesh started to melt away he no longer had the breath to scream. When Jean finally pulled the fires away, Pyro lay close to dying on the hard mountain ground.
With his last breaths Pyro asked, "Why Jean?"
"Jean no longer has control here. I am Phoenix and my powers will no longer be wasted as they were before," the entity inhabiting Jean replied, but Pyro was no longer in any condition to hear her.